Multi-optical fiber connector modules are used to mechanically couple the ends of a plurality of optical fibers to a parallel optical communications module that has a plurality of optical channels. The parallel optical communications module may be a parallel optical transceiver module having both transmit and receive optical channels, a parallel optical transmitter module having only transmit optical channels, or a parallel optical receiver module having only receive optical channels. A typical multi-optical fiber connector module includes an optics system that couples light between the ends of the optical fibers and respective optoelectronic devices that are contained within the parallel optical communications module. For transmit optical channels, the optoelectronic devices are electrical-to-optical converters such as laser diodes or light-emitting diodes (LEDs). For receive optical channels, the optoelectronic devices are optical-to-electrical converters such as photodiodes.
The multi-optical fiber connector modules and the parallel optical communications modules typically have mating features on them that allow the multi-optical fiber connector modules to be fixedly or removably mechanically coupled to one another. A variety of multi-optical fiber connector modules and parallel optical communications modules exist in the market today that are designed to mate with one another in a way that optically aligns the optical pathways between the ends of the optical fibers and the ends of the respective optoelectronic devices to enable optical data signals to be coupled between ends of the optical fibers and the respective optoelectronic devices. In designing and manufacturing the multi-optical fiber connector modules and the corresponding parallel optical communications modules, great care is taken to ensure that once the modules are mated together, very precise optical alignment exists along the optical pathways.
A variety of passive and active optical alignment techniques and tools are used today to provide the precise optical alignment that is needed to prevent unacceptable optical losses from occurring. Unacceptable optical losses lead to signal degradation, which can lead to an unacceptable bit error rate (BER). When the multi-optical fiber connector modules and the corresponding parallel optical communications modules are manufactured, the manufacturing tolerances typically must be extremely tight in order to ensure that very precise optical alignment exists along the optical pathways when the modules are mechanically coupled to one another in their ultimate relative positions and orientations. Otherwise, the optical alignment along the optical pathways will not have sufficient precision to prevent unacceptable optical losses from occurring.
Often times, the ends of the optical fibers are polished to form a flat optical surface on the end of the fiber. The flat optical surface improves the efficiency with which light is coupled into or out of the end of the fiber. The process of polishing the ends of the fibers is time consuming and expensive. An alternative to polishing the ends of the optical fibers is to cleave them and cover the cleaved ends in a refractive index-matching adhesive material, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,543,994 (hereinafter the '994 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,553,091 (hereinafter the '091 patent), which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. The adhesive material has an index of refraction that matches, or nearly matches, the index of refraction of the fiber cores to prevent total internal reflection from occurring at the interface between the fiber ends and the optical elements of the optics system of the connector module. Leaving the ends of the fibers in as-cleaved condition eliminates the costs associated with polishing.
It can be difficult to strip and cleave fibers with precision, especially in cases where loose fibers are used instead of ribbons. Although tools exist for stripping and cleaving fibers, such tools are often not easy to use with precision. In addition, once the ends of the optical fibers have been stripped and cleaved, it can be difficult to secure them to a connector module at precise locations. A need exists for a way to easily strip and cleave fibers with precision and secure their ends to connector modules at precise locations within the connector modules.